Hand rail bracket and filler



Aug 28 1962 A. A. WAGNER HAND RAIL BRACKET AND FILLER Filed April 11, 1958 A TTOP/VE Y5 United States Patent 3,051,426 HAND RAIL BRACKET AND FILLER Adolph A. Wagner, Milwaukee, Wis, assignor to R & B

Wagner, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of WIS- cousin Filed Apr. 11, 1958, Ser. No. 727,883 3 Claims. (Cl. 248205) This invention relates to a hand rail bracket and filler.

In the device of the present invention both the hand rail bracket and the filler comprise metal stampings. Accordingly, the parts can be formed readily and inexpensively and do not require foundry facilities.

The hand rail bracket is desirably made in two different embodiments and the filler is provided with structural features which make it interchangeable for use with both hand rail bracket embodiments. Inasmuch as the filler is thus interchangeable, the number of different parts required for installation of both hand rail brackets made according to my invention is reduced.

One of my hand rail brackets has a mounting flange with a central aperture and a continuous unapertured annular margin and another hand rail bracket has a mounting flange with a marginal series of mounting apertures and an unapertured central port-ion. The filler comprises a circular plate from which peripherally Spaced legs are bent at right angles. A marginal band portion of the plate is provided with a series of apertures which register with the marginal apertures of the second mentioned embodiment of the hand rail bracket and also has a central aperture which registers with the central aperture in the first mentioned embodiment of the hand rail bracket.

The portions of the filler plate about said central aperture are recessed or countersunk to provide space in which the head of a bolt may be received when the device is used with the embodiment of the hand rail bracket which has marginally spaced apertures. When the embodiment of the invention which has a mounting flange with a central aperture is used, a central bolt simply extends through both the aperture in the central mounting flange and the aperture in the filler plate.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following disclosure in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a hand rail bracket embodiment having a mounting flange with a central aperture.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a hand rail bracket embodiment having a mounting flange with a series of marginal apertures.

FIGURE 3 is a cross section taken through a wall to which the FIGURE 1 embodiment of hand rail bracket is applied in cooperation with a filler embodying the present invention.

FIGURE 4 is a cross section taken through a wall to which the FIGURE 2 embodiment of hand rail bracket is applied in cooperation with a filler embodying the present invention.

FIGURE 5 is a cross section taken along the line 55 of FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a cross section taken along the line 66 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a filler embodying the present invention.

The hand ra-il bracket of FIGURE 1 includes a circular mounting flange 10 having an outwardly dished central portion 11 provided with a central bolt receiving aperture '12. The bracket is desirably stamped from a single piece of metal and is bent at 13 to provide a laterally extending reversely curved arm :14 provided at its outermost end with a hand rail cradle 15 to which the hand rail 16 may be secured by screws or the like.

The hand rail bracket is desirably positioned against a plaster wall :17 opposite a firm support such as the stud 18. The plaster 17 does not provide adequate backing for the hand rail bracket. Accordingly, I dispose between the mounting flange 10 of the hand rail bracket and the stud 18 a filler 21 best shown in FIG- URE 7. The filler 21 comprises a metal stamping having a circular plate portion 22 from which legs 23 are bent at right angles. The plate 22 has marginal bolt receiving apertures 24 and is also provided with a central bolt receiving aperture 25 which will align with the opening 12 in the mounting flange of the hand rail bracket of FIGURE 1 aforesaid.

Accordingly, when the hand rail bracket embodiment of FIGURE 1 is to be mounted, its unapertured marginal band portion 10 may be placed into abutment with the marginal band portion 22 of the filler 21 and a mounting bolt 26 passed through bolt openings, 12, 25 to firmly secure the hand rail bracket to the wall. Head 20 of the bolt engages the flange and presses the flange against the filler and stud.

FIGURE 2 illustrates a second embodiment of the invention in which the hand rail bracket mounting flange 27 is provided with a series of spaced marginal bolt receiving apertures 28 which register with the marginally spaced apertures 24 of the filler 22. In this embodiment of the invention the outwardly dished central portion 29 of the flange is unapertured. In this embodiment of the invention bolts 32 interconnect the mounting flange 27 With the filler plate 22 through registering marginal apertures 24, 28, as shown in FIGURE 4. For particular use with the FIGURE 2 hand rail bracket the filler plate 22 is recessed or countersunk at 33 to receive and house the bolt head 34 of bolt 35 by which the filler and hand rail bracket are securely mounted to the stud 18. Accordingly, the bolt head 34 is concealed behind dished portion 29 of the flange.

In the disclosed combination the filler can be interchangeably used with either of the hand rail embodiments shown in FIGURES l and 2. In the case of the FIG- URE 1 embodiment, a single bolt not only fastens the filler and bracket together but also mounts the entire assembly from the Wall. In the mounting of the FIG- URE 2 embodiment, as shown in FIGURE 4, the spaced series of bolts 32 fastens the bracket to the filler and the bolt 35 in turn fastens the filler to the wall. The FIGURE 2 bracket may be removed from the wall by loosening bolts 32 without disturbing the anchorage of filler to the wall. In the device of FIGURES 1 and 3, removal of bolt 26 releases the hand rail bracket and also conditions the filler for removal from the wall.

I claim:

1. The combination with a filler having plate and leg portions disposed at substantially right angles, said plate portion having a central recess with an aperture therethrough and being [further provided in unrecessed marginal band portions thereof with a series of marginal holes, of a hand rail bracket having a mounting flange and a curved bracket arm disposed at an angle to said flange, said flange having a marginal band portion registering with the marginal band portion of the filler plate and having a central portion dished outwardly therefrom and means fastening said mounting flange to said filler plate.

2. The device of claim 1 in which said mounting flange is provided with a series of marginal holes registering with the series of marginal holes in the filler plate, said fastening means comprising screws engaged through said registering holes for fastening the plate to the flange, and a bolt engaged through the central aperture of the filler vplate and having ,a head housed in the recess thereof and concealed behind the outwardly dished portion of the said mounting flange.

3. The device of claim 1 in which said mounting flange has a central aperture and said fastening means comprising a bolt having its head exposed externally thereof and a shank extending through said aperture and through the central aperture in the filler plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 13, 1924 

